James Forsyth James Forsyth

PMQs: Harman puts Cameron in his place

Harriet Harman has 16 years on David Cameron and she used that advantage very effectively today. After Cameron replied to her first question on the EU referendum with a string of mocking quips about Labour’s mass conversion on the subject, Harman scolded him for gloating and told him to ‘show a bit more class’.

This dressing down took Cameron aback. For the rest of the session he wasn’t sure whether to tone it down or mock Harman for complaining.

With Harman refusing to play along with the usual Punch and Judy show, Cameron turned to the SNP. He took advantage of Angus Robertson’s questions to mock the Nationalists for saying that they wanted full fiscal autonomy and then not trying to actually get it. He quipped that the SNP’s policy was to ask for something that they didn’t want and then complain when they don’t get it.

The news of the session, though, came when Cameron announced that Theresa May had written to the Migration Advisory Committee asking it to look at ways to cut non-EU immigration into Britain. The measures that are being looked at include a levy on employers who hire staff on visas to fund skills training in this country and increasing the amount someone has to be earning before they are eligible for a work visa.

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